


Wandering Stars of Flame and Ice

by IlithiyanKnight, LuminaFaith, tamilnarnia, zeltra



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Pre-Canon, Gen, Manaketes (Fire Emblem), Original Character(s), Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, but only a few, headcanons galore, just let me worldbuild ok, technically, way too much lore about the nabateans, what if more dragons survived zanado
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-13
Updated: 2020-08-20
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:00:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25873258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IlithiyanKnight/pseuds/IlithiyanKnight, https://archiveofourown.org/users/LuminaFaith/pseuds/LuminaFaith, https://archiveofourown.org/users/tamilnarnia/pseuds/tamilnarnia, https://archiveofourown.org/users/zeltra/pseuds/zeltra
Summary: On one fateful night, Zanado burned. Of all the Children that lived under the Goddess's protection, only a handful escaped and none were left unscarred. Wishing to avenge her mother, Seiros took up arms and led her allies to victory, but the other Children were scattered to the winds and wished to hide the heritage that made them the targets of greed. As the world adapts to a life without the Goddess's oversight, so too must those who remain left behind.An anthology depicting the lives of other dragons in Fodlan before the events of the game.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 7





	1. The Night of Blood and Fire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _??? imperial year_

“Ness, wait! Slow down!” Mina’s words came out in short bursts. Branches whipped past her sides and she winced at every scrape that formed on her legs. “Ness!”

The grip around her wrist just tightened and she took her eyes off the ground to focus on the figure before her. Her sister’s red hair looked almost like a purple blur as they kept running through the night, farther and farther away from the blaze behind them. The hard stone of the canyon had turned into dirt long ago and a forest was rapidly approaching her line of sight, but still they did not slow down.

It wasn’t until they were deep within the tree cover that they finally stopped. Mina all but collapsed onto the ground, her legs burning from exertion. Somewhere nearby, Ness was scouring their surroundings, one hand ready to strike at any foes that might appear. None did.

“Ness? What’s going on?” Mina couldn’t keep the fear from shaking her voice. Her sister had pulled her out of bed, grabbed a few items, and then ran out of the canyon as the screams and shouts rang out behind them with no explanation. “Why did we leave Zanado?”

The other Child muttered a curse under her breath. “Zanado’s not safe anymore.”

“What?” She didn’t understand. “But our High Mother keeps it safe-“

“The High Mother is gone!” Ness whirled around to face her, and for the first time, she noticed the anxious lines carved into her sister’s face. “She can’t protect Zanado. Not anymore.”

Dread settled at the bottom of her stomach. “Wh- What do you mean, she’s _gone_?”

“I mean exactly what I said.” Ness gestured at her chest. “You can feel it, can’t you? The High Mother’s power is inside all of her Children, but I can’t feel it as strongly anymore.”

Mina stared at her, then reluctantly delved into herself. Where there was once a strong, warm presence in her wellspring, there was now only a flicker of a familiar feeling. She returned her attention to Ness, who had moved to sit down beside her. “And- And what about Zanado?”

“You remember the story of the Agarthans, right?” asked Ness. When she nodded, she continued, “I heard a few sunrises ago that the Agarthans still survive, even after the battles, and that their descendants might have been working with the humans the High Mother created some time ago.”

“And you think those Agarthan remnants might have done” –she pointed at her chest, at where the empty feeling was– “whatever happened to our High Mother?”

Ness shrugged and looked away. “I’m not really sure. Before I woke you up, I saw the inner city on fire.” There was a slight tremor to her voice and Mina took her sister’s hands in hers. “I think it started from the Temple of Slumber.”

They fell silent for a while, listening to the forest around them. A few times, Mina tried to look back at where they’d come from, but there was no sign of the fire that was razing their home. Movement at her side jerked her attention back to the other Child, who had stood up and was brushing the dirt off her clothes.

“Come on, get up.” She held out a hand and pulled Mina to her feet. “We need to get as far away as possible from Zanado right now.”

“But, what about the others? Shouldn’t we go back to help them?”

“It’s too dangerous. You saw the same things I did when we were leaving the house.” Her brow furrowed and Mina grimaced at the reminder. Beyond the flames, she’d seen blood coating the ground and the flashes of metal cutting through the air. “We can’t risk it.”

“But what about Chiv? We can’t just leave her!” Mina stepped closer to Ness, who tightened her jaw and looked away. How could she let one of their closest friends die? “I don’t want to lose her-“

“And I don’t want to lose you!” Ness snapped back, unseen tears racing down her cheeks. She was afraid, Mina realized. Her strong and dependable sister was _afraid_. “Not- Not after everything we’ve been through already.”

The stories behind those words, stories they both knew all too well, weighed heavily in the air. Mina hesitated for a split second before closing the distance between them and pulling the other Child into a hug. A few seconds passed before Ness wrapped her arms around her shoulders and held her tighter.

Their High Mother, Zanado, their mentors, neighbors, and friends were all gone. If any would survive until the end of the night, neither of them knew who to look for.

“Now what?” Mina asked quietly. She could almost hear the gears turning in her sister’s head.

“Now,” Ness said slowly. “We find somewhere to hide.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's this? I'm starting another writing project while I haven't finished my current one? Oh boy, this is gonna be fun!
> 
> Welcome to a small experiment of mine! This anthology is inspired by one off-the-rails conversation with some friends about maneketes/dragon-people in Fodlan and will be snippets of the lives of three (or four) dragons after the massacre of Zanado but before the events of FE:3H.
> 
> Given that this is more of a fun little thing for me to do, there likely won't be a rigid schedule to this anthology and I'll just update whenever I write something. The idea for this anthology is not even a day old and I'm already in love with it. I hope you find it interesting as well!
> 
> If you liked this first chapter, leave a comment! Comments give me life and motivation!


	2. Rumours

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Roughly -44 to -43 imperial year_

The bow felt unfamiliar in Ness’s hands as she kept it aimed at the wolf. If they had enough coin to buy a sword from one of the villages, she would have done it in a heartbeat. She would even have settled for raw ore – the fire Children were infinitely more skilled than the little humans the High Mother made.

Ness eyed her opponent as it slowly circled around her. Was one trapped rabbit really worth all of this? Surely it could find other prey without having to fight someone for it. The wolf took a few steps closer, hackles rising, and she pulled the bowstring back further.

 _“Oh, why bother?”_ she thought and dropped her weapon. She leapt at the wolf, pulling at the power within her, and welcomed the inferno roaring into life under her skin. Within seconds, whimpers filled the air as the wolf flailed from underneath her claws. She pressed against its neck and felt the crack of a killing blow.

Ness stepped back, releasing her hold on the fire to return to human form. As convenient as it would be to carry the results of her hunt in her Gifted form, any passing traveller wouldn’t take too kindly to a fiery draconic beast prowling through the forest. With no small amount of annoyance, she gathered her bow and the forgotten rabbit, and hoisted the wolf corpse over her shoulder.

The cave she and Mina had settled in some six or seven moons ago was a far cry from the home they had shared in the canyon, but it was better than sleeping out in the open. Still, it hardly felt like home when the only familiar items were those that the two had had only seconds to grab before they left. One of those items was the dagger she was pulling out to inspect, one of the last remnants of their parents. It wasn’t a hunting dagger and its forger most certainly never imagined that it’d be used in such a way, but it had served their father well before everything had changed.  
Ness shook away the thought; there was no time to dwell on events she had had no control over. She focused her attention on the wolf corpse, examining its fur. It wasn’t perfect and it was slightly damaged from when she had attacked it, but the merchants would likely pay a heftier price for a wolf pelt.

“Hey, Ness!” She glanced up at the cave entrance to see her sister almost trip over the smoldering fire pit as she ran in. She pushed down the urge to laugh at Mina’s expense. “Guess what I heard!”

She paused in the skinning process and raised an eyebrow. “What is it?”

“I was selling some herbs to the apothecary in the riverside village and he told me that he’d heard some rumours about an extraordinary person in the west.” The blue-haired Child plopped down beside her, giving her a mildly disgusted look at the bloodied pelt at their feet. “An extraordinary person that’s extremely strong, smart, and has been able to do _miracle healing_ , as if they were turning back time itself.”

Ness furrowed her brow. “That sounds like one of the light Children.”

“I thought the same thing.” Her sister shook her head. “But when I asked if he heard anything else, the apothecarist said that there were rumours that the person was named Seiros.”

“Sei- as in, the sky priestess Seiros?”

Mina shrugged. “That’s my guess. He said everything he heard was second-hand, so he wasn’t sure if the miracle person and Seiros were the same, but…”

“But it’s too much of a coincidence for it not to be true,” she finished, and Mina nodded. “So, someone else survived.”

“Yeah.” The other Child idly rubbed her arm. “I don’t want to get my hopes up just in case it isn’t her, but if it is…” Her voice trailed off, but they both could finish the thought. If it really was Seiros, then they wouldn’t be alone anymore.

“…Maybe we should head west,” said Ness after a long moment and she could see Mina perk up in her peripherals. “We can check out who this miracle person is. If the rumours were just rumours, then we can just come back here.”

“Right,” Mina agreed, then stood up and shuffled over to the fire pit, poking at the embers to rouse them into a fire once more. “By the way, what’s with the wolf?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some lore terminology/fun facts because I'm unlikely to get a chance to explain it in the anthology itself:
> 
> \- The words "dragons" or "manaketes" aren't used very often in FE:3H, and Rhea and co. are almost exclusively referred to as "Children of the Goddess", "divine beasts", or "creatures". The only exceptions are the dragon signs in New Game+, but those aren't a core part of the lore. Here, the dragon-people/manaketes will call themselves "Children of the Goddess/High Mother", with "dragon" in particular being replaced with "Child" (ex: a fire dragon = a fire Child);
> 
> \- Sothis's first creations were the light dragons, who were gifted at healing and protecting ("turning back time" on wounds). The other dragon species would come later, but the sky dragons (Seiros included) were actually birthed by Sothis herself and they would be hailed as priests/priestesses in Zanado due to their close relationship with Sothis.
> 
> \- Those closest to Sothis (her direct bloodline or the elders of each species, since they were the first of that species) have green hair, but the further down you go from Sothis, the more colour is introduced, like red. Part of this is due to species intermingling, but it's mostly because Sothis got bored of seeing only green hair and went "You get a colour, and you get a colour, and you get a colour! Everybody gets a colour!"
> 
> \- Since Sothis only directly created the first of each species, very few dragons actually get to call her their mother. In order to distinguish their creator mother from their familial mothers, most of the Children call Sothis their High Mother. The exceptions include the sky Children, who tend to forgo the word "high" and just refer to her as their mother.
> 
> -
> 
> As a side note, you might have noticed that the author list grew exponentially. This anthology will be a joint-project by the four of us, with each of us writing a chapter here and there! More lore facts might be sprinkled in the end-notes of the chapters, so keep an eye out if you're interested!
> 
> If you liked this chapter, leave a comment or hit me up on Twitter (@LuminaFaith)! Comment now and you'll get a free bonafide Ness-cut wolf pelt (shipping fees not included) to go along with your snazzy little face.


	3. Closure in the Moonlight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Roughly -43 imperial year_

The gathering of humans was much louder and rowdier than Mina had been expecting as she and Ness crept around the outskirts. The various campfires dotting the camp lit up men kneeling in prayer, talking amongst themselves, or even sparring as others cheered them on. They had heard rumours of an army growing to oppose the supposed King of Liberation, but those rumours vastly underestimated the actual size of the force.

“Hey, don’t fall behind.” Ness’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts, and she hurried to catch up with her sister, tugging the hood of her cloak further across her face. “You good?”

“Yeah.” They crossed over the top of a hill and the camp fell out of view. A stream ran along the bottom of the hill, its burbling overtaking the other ambient sounds as they walked closer. “Do you think we can actually find her?”

“Might be easier than we thought.” She looked at Ness curiously, who nodded at something behind her. Carefully, she turned her head and caught sight of someone downstream from them, kneeling by the water. “They match the appearance from the rumours, at least. I’ve only ever seen the priestess once, but if that isn’t one of the sky Children or the other higher bloodlines, then they’ve done a damn good imitation of one.”

They walked towards the kneeling figure, who Mina could now make out as a woman with pale green hair and seemingly was muttering to herself. They stopped a few meters from the woman and Ness nudged her – they had agreed that she would be the one to try talking to the alleged Saint Seiros first.

“E-Excuse me,” she said quietly, and the woman abruptly stood up to face them. Mina took half a step back, stopping when she felt a hand rest on her shoulder. Ness gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze and she cleared her throat before continuing, “Are you the Saint Seiros?”

The woman nodded and a gentle smile formed on her face. “I am. Is there something I can help you with?” Her tone was softer than what she had expected an authoritative figure to have.

Mina swallowed. Now was the moment of truth. “Are you also the priestess?”

Seiros froze at the question. A few seconds of silence stretched on between them, and Ness stepped up beside her. “Are you a priestess of the sky?”

The woman seemed to be at a loss, shock plastered across her face. She opened her mouth to answer them, but then came the sound of hurried footfalls behind them. Mina barely registered Seiros’s gaze shifting to look past them when Ness threw her behind her. She heard – and felt under her feet – a large thud in the ground where they had been standing moments before and she looked up to see her sister standing protectively in front of her, sword drawn and eyeing the newcomer, who was pulling up an axe stuck in the dirt.

“Step away from the Saint!” said the newcomer. She brushed a few strands of silver hair from her face and adjusted her grip on her axe. “Or else this is going to hurt a lot.”

“W-Wait! Vichyssoise, stand down!” Seiros sputtered behind them and the axe-wielder looked taken aback by the command. “You two, I… To answer your question, yes, I am the sky priestess Seiros.”

“Lady Seiros, why are you-“ Vichyssoise abruptly fell silent, but confusion still shone in her eyes, which were a similar shade to Mina’s own eye colour. Idly, she wondered if the two were distantly related in some manner or another.

Mina jumped when something touched her shoulder and she whirled around to see Seiros’s hand hovering in the air. The sky Child cleared her throat. “Did the two of you also survive?” she asked softly.

She turned her head to catch her sister’s eyes. A moment passed as Ness read the question in her gaze, before giving her a nearly imperceptible nod. Mina faced Seiros again and reached up to slip off the hood of her cloak and to pull her hair to the side, just enough to let the cool night air touch her pointed ear. Beside her, Ness had sheathed her sword and turned around, doing the same.

“Stars above,” said Seiros with a quiet gasp, tears welling up quickly in her eyes. Vichyssoise circled around the siblings to get a glimpse and her jaw dropped open. “We thought we were the only ones to make it out alive.”

“We thought so as well, but then we heard rumours of a person named Seiros who could perform miracles of healing. We weren’t sure if it was you until tonight,” Ness said, patting her hair back into place. “I am Ness and this-“

“Ness?!” What happened next happened too fast for Mina to process. Vichyssoise’s axe dropped to the ground with a thud as its owner was suddenly beside her, arms wrapped tight around her sister’s shoulder. She could see Ness stiffen from the contact, eyes narrowing slightly as she took in her captor’s appearance. “I thought you died!”

“Chiv?” Ness was met with a tightening of the hug as confirmation and she awkwardly raised a hand to pat her on the back. “Uh, well, I’m not dead yet, but I might be if you keep this up.”

“Are you two friends?” Seiros asked, looking from her bodyguard to the red-haired Child and back.

Ness shrugged and answered, “Apparently.” The priestess furrowed her brows, likely trying to interpret the meaning of that response.

“Ah, sorry, sorry.” After a few more seconds, Vichyssoise – Chiv, she corrected herself – let go of Ness and turned to the other sibling. “If Ness is here, then you have to be Mina. I will start a riot if you aren’t.”

“Please don’t,” Seiros muttered.

“Yep!” Mina brightened and stepped into Chiv’s open arms to hug her.

The other Child let out a small laugh by her ear. “It’s been a while since I’ve had a proper look at you! I barely recognize you now that you’re taller and a bit more grown up!” Chiv released her and sized her up. “Eh, you’re not that much taller.” Mina stuck her tongue out at her and their friend just patted her head in response.

“Where have the two of you been living?” Seiros stepped closer to the trio, pulling their attention back to her.

“In a forest on the other side of the mountain range with the canyon,” Ness answered. “We found a cave to hide out in. We figured the mountains would be enough of a barrier for us to be somewhat safe, and so far, it worked.”

“And there were a few human villages nearby,” added Mina, watching as Chiv retrieved her axe and fiddled with the handle. “Sometimes, we went in to trade any pelts or herbs we found for some coin. That’s where we heard about you.”

“I see. I’m surprised you were able to even earn any money, given the current state of the land.” Mina tilted her head in confusion. “Have you two heard of Nemesis?”

“The King of Liberation?” she asked.

“A title he bestowed upon himself,” Seiros muttered, disdain seeping into her voice. “Humans all over the land have given in to pillaging and turned to all manners of crime. If bandits aren’t destroying a village for its resources, they’re likely swindling the gold right out of the residents’ pockets.”

The siblings traded glances. “We hadn’t heard about that,” said Mina. “Although, I suppose we do spend most of our time as far away from the humans as we can.”

“If that is what allowed you to live until now, then I am glad that you two have done it.” Seiros shook her head. “But Nemesis’s actions disgust me. Not only did he kill my mo–the High Mother–but he also razed Zanado to fulfill his own greed, and still he is not satiated.”

The revelation shocked her. “Nemesis was the one who…?” She pointed at her chest and the woman nodded glumly.

“He’s the reason why the High Mother is gone.” Seiros’s face twisted in anger and Chiv tightened her grip on her axe. “He is also the reason why I’ve been gathering this army. There are many humans who are sick of Nemesis’s ‘reign’ of the land, so we aim to end it.” She looked pointedly at the two of them. “Will you join us?”

Mina practically recoiled from the question. Join the conflict? She and Ness had practically been avoiding _any_ conflict since the night they left Zanado. She turned to look at her sister, who met her gaze. She lightly pursed her lips, suppressing a shudder of horror – she had only caught glimpses of the violence that had destroyed their home, but she would be the destructive one if they entered the battles.

“Respectfully, priestess,” Ness said slowly, “I think we will have to refuse.”

“I see,” said Seiros, her face falling, as Chiv blurted out, “What?”

“What do you mean, you refuse?” The light Child stepped closer to them and Mina retreated behind her sister. “We took an oath, Ness! The High Mother may be gone, but Lady Seiros is her daughter and as far we know, she’s the oldest of the Sky Children remaining, so our duties now apply to her.”

“I know.”

“And you’re still going to leave? We could use your skills to help train the rest of the army.” Chiv’s expression darkened. “If we were in Zanado, you could be tried for treason for this.”

“ _If_ we were in Zanado, I could rely on others to protect the things that matter the most to me in my stead.” Ness shifted to stand protectively in front of Mina, one hand inches away from the hilt of her sword. She could see Seiros’s gaze dart between them from the motion. “But we’re not in Zanado.”

A tense silence grew between the four of them and Mina almost felt like she was suffocating from it. Confusion blended into anger and possibly betrayal on their friend’s face as she stared at Ness. Mina couldn’t blame Chiv for feeling that way – being part of the Order had been everything to the two of them and it was where they had first become friends, but Chiv hadn’t lived through the events they had gone through, the ones that had taken their parents away from them. The path of Chiv’s life had crossed with theirs, but it still had come from a different direction.

“I understand.” Seiros’s gentle voice broke the silence. Chiv whipped her head around to look at the priestess. “Am I right to assume that you were part of the Order of Fire alongside Chiv?”

Ness nodded once. “I was one of the fire Children training to be part of the Order, but I never managed to finish my training. Mina never joined the Order since she trained in one of the temples instead.”

“I see.” The priestess fell silent for a moment, then straightened her posture. When she spoke again, her tone was firmer and almost regal sounding. “As the acting High Priestess of Skies, I shall release Ness of the Order of Fire from her oaths. Although she has not served the full term sworn by guardians, due to extenuating circumstances, she will not be dishonourably exiled from the Order nor from Zanado.” Seiros dipped her head towards Ness, who sunk into a bow. “May the High Mother guard your flame and may you make the most of the freedom you now have.”

“Thank you, Lady Seiros.” Ness straightened and flipped up the hood of her cloak. “For what it’s worth, I am sorry that I can’t help you. If there were more of us, then maybe I would feel more comfortable in joining your cause.”

“We’re saddened by the loss of the High Mother as well,” Mina jumped in. “It’s not like we don’t want to avenge her, but… there are too many things on the line for us if we do join you.”

Seiros nodded, fiddling with her sleeve. “I understand. It is unfortunate, but I will respect your decisions. If you ever change your minds, though, you will know where to find us.”

Mina pulled her hood over her head as her sister hummed her agreement. Ness bowed once more, and she quickly followed suit. “We wish you good luck, Lady Seiros.”

“Thank you.” The priestess had a strained smile on her face. Mina glanced at Chiv, whose eyebrows were furrowed and whose eyes had some indescribable look in them. “When this conflict is over, I hope to see the two of you again.”

“We can only hope,” murmured Mina and she waved them goodbye while Ness turned to leave. As they walked back the way they came, she took one last look at Seiros and Chiv, who stared after them, but otherwise remained motionless by the stream. Then they crossed the top of the hill and the two were alone once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More Nabatean thoughts from me!
> 
> \- The Order of Fire is a sub-group of the larger Order of Guardians, an organization of skilled fighters who serve to protect the High Mother (Sothis) while she slumbers.
> 
> \- There are a multitude of Orders, specifically one for each main species of dragon. Each Order will "specialize" in one species, but has a mandatory number of members of other species. For example, the Order of Fire has quite a few fire dragons, but there are at least 3 or 4 dragons of other species. This is how Chiv, a light dragon, can serve in the Order of Fire despite not being a fire dragon herself.
> 
> \- Fire dragons, unsurprisingly, are skilled at forging things. Since their flames are more magical in nature, they're able to create flames of very high degrees and imbue special energy into it, allowing for other materials or even spellcraft/enchantments to easily be mixed in to make their items stronger. While the most common product is weaponry, some fire dragons prefer to use their talents to make jewelry or other ornaments.
> 
> \- Light dragons can bend light to some degree and take in energy from light to imbue their magic breath with it, making it more powerful. Though this is certainly impressive, they excel in healing and self-healing as mentioned in the previous chapter's notes. While they can't regenerate themselves on the fly, it does take significantly less time for them to recover from severe wounds than the other dragons. Light dragons can either excel in healing or in self-healing, making them proficient healers (like Cethleann*) or tanky defenders (Chiv).
> 
> -
> 
> Weirdly enough, even though the Church of Seiros was formed 41 years before the Empire was, the War of Heroes didn't actually start until 73 years later, so I can only assume that Seiros was just doing skirmish fights to try and reclaim part of the continent. If you were looking forward to the siblings joining the fight against Nemesis, well, I don't know what to tell you! Maybe... stay tuned? ;)
> 
> If you liked this chapter, leave a comment or hit me up on Twitter (@LuminaFaith)! Comment now and you can get one (1) free pass to join Seiros's army!


End file.
